Quarterly Policy Roundup: Q1 2022
The Roundtable kicked off the new year by convening Task Forces focused on key policy areas while also collaborating with external partners to advance strategies to support key priorities. The Roundtable convened its Task Forces including: Competitiveness; Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion; Education and Workforce Development; Energy and Environment; Healthcare and Life Sciences; and Transportation, Housing, and Infrastructure. There were many…
The Need for Talent
Well before the pandemic, workforce development was a priority for members of the Roundtable. But the talent crunch has increasingly become the top priority as well as challenge for member companies – similar to companies spanning industries, regions, and sizes in Massachusetts as well as many markets across the country. Since the start of the pandemic, Roundtable members have convened…
Moving from Intention to Impact on DEI
Roundtable Guest Contributor(s): The Lazu Group and State Street Roundtable members The Lazu Group and State Street are collaborating to provide a platform for conversations at State Street and among employees to promote racial and social justice in the workplace. As part of this series, the two organizations first explored the diversity, equity, and inclusion through the lens of Black…
Celebrating Mentoring Month: The Value of Mentor-Mentee Relationship
Featuring a Q&A with JD Chesloff, Mentor and President & CEO of the Roundtable, and Marielba Arias, Mentee and Assistant Branch Manager at Cambridge Savings Bank’s Somerville-Assembly Row Branch. As National Mentoring Month comes to a close, the Roundtable is reflecting on its partnership with Conexion and mentoring efforts to support rising talent in the Massachusetts business community. Conexion is…
Roundtable Members Share Employer Priorities and Reflect on Outlook for 2022
How are Massachusetts employers approaching plans for 2022? This December, the Massachusetts Business Roundtable hosted its quarterly Board of Directors meeting as well as an Open Forum which included two opportunities for members to discuss the top issues employers are currently facing and expect to continue to manage in 2022. Addressing the COVID-19 pandemic response continues to be top-of-mind for…
Essential Today, Essential to the Future: Latinos and an Equitable Labor Market Economy
As we focus on an economic recovery for the Commonwealth, government, business, philanthropy, and community-based organizations share a common belief: we must build an equitable economy. That is why the Massachusetts Business Roundtable – comprised of CEOs and senior executives from the state’s largest employers focused on advancing public policy to strengthen the Commonwealth’s long-term economic prosperity – is partnering…
See Yourself In STEM
How can students today see themselves in jobs for the future? Throughout Massachusetts STEM Week (October 18 – 22, 2021), we are encouraging young people to see themselves in science, technology, engineering, math as well as the arts (both STEM and STEAM). But, a student can only begin to see what their future career may be in STEM/STEAM if they…
Quarterly Policy Roundup: Q3 2021
The Roundtable is focused on seven priorities as part of the 2021 – 22 Legislative Session. There’s lots of progress underway and more to come, and we look forward to further engagement among members, policy makers, and the broader business community to support these priorities. As a reflection of our mission and underscored by our members, the Roundtable approaches our…
Open Forum Roundup: Roundtable Members on Updated Plans for Back-to-Office Health & Safety Measures
While the summer began with reopening the Massachusetts economy, Roundtable members like many employers were asking lots of questions by mid-summer in light of the Delta variant. Roundtable staff began to hear from members, contemplating the most appropriate plan to return to the office or revisit vaccination and masking policies. By August 2021, members reported pushing back return-to-office dates, in…
Reflections from MBR Summer Fellow, Rebecca Yemo
Rebecca Yemo is a PhD student at the University of Massachusetts Boston, and joined the Roundtable as a summer fellow through the UMass Boston Civic Action Project (CAP). Below are reflections from Rebecca’s summer fellowship experience, in her own words. The past 10 weeks have been nothing short of educative, inspiring, and an all-round pleasant experience working with the Massachusetts…